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"Uruminuri Akikusa Chinkin Hibachi"
(Embellishment Lacquered Hibachi with an Autumn Grass Chinkin Design)
Circa late Taishou period
h. 24.0 cm; d. 27.8 cm
Artist Unknown
Collection of Wajima Urushi Ware Commerce and Industry
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| Wajima Lacquerware in Modern Times |
From the end of the Meiji period (1868 - 1911) and into the Taishou period (1912 - 1925), a steady demand for traditional lacquerware furniture was supplemented by an increased appetite for lacquerware from Japanese restaurants (ryotei) and Japanese hotels (ryokan). This new trade produced a great variety of products.
At the beginning of the Shouwa period, the Maki-e artist Takezono Jiko, and the Chinkin artist Mae Taiho, later a living national treasure, began to receive recognition at major exhibitions, such as the Annual Imperial Art Academy Exhibition (Teiten). Following this, a lot of well-known lacquerware artists were trained under the guidance of these artists, and in the difficult time after the World War II, lacquerware artists from Wajima received awards in major exhibitions every year. These lacquerware artists played an important role in the local industry, and Wajima Lacquerware thus became well-known for its artistic quality, its solid coating, and its gorgeous Chinkin and Maki-e decorations. |
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